From CEO to Concubine-Chapter 197: Business As Usual

"Congratulations, Langjun! Much jubilations, Langjun!"

Yan Zheyun smiled until he felt the sides of his cheeks ache but inwardly his heart was calmer than he appeared. Liu Yao had surprised him enough times with rank promotions that he’d acclimatised to the fanfare by now.

What did lift his spirits immensely wasn’t the power that came with the title of empress. It was the knowledge that he was finally Liu Yao’s legitimate partner and vice versa. In modern terms, the coronation ceremony and inclusion of Yan Zheyun’s name into the imperial ancestral records next to Liu Yao’s was as good as a registration of marriage.

"Don’t stand on ceremony," he said, lifting a graceful hand to indicate that the concubines attending the morning assembly should rise from their curtsies or bows. Apart from the conspicuous absences of Noble Consort Dou and Gracious Consort Yao,the other healthy concubines were present, including Attendant Zhang. However, judging by her red-rimmed eyes and the pinched look on her face that was bare for once, she was not happy to be here.

Yan Zheyun took a seat upon his dais, barely managing to conceal his wince as he felt himself ache protestingly in unmentionable places. Even the surreptitious extra cushion Xiao De had slipped onto his chair earlier that morning was enough to pass away the soreness of a good hard railing.

Yesterday night, Liu Yao had swept into Qianqing Palace and dragged Yan Zheyun straight to the bedchamber, leaving everyone in their wake flummoxed. Once the doors had slammed shut behind them, he’d tackled Yan Zheyun onto the bed, entire body thrumming with a youthful excitement that left his dark eyes bright.

Yan Zheyun had never seen him like this. The Liu Yao he knew was stable, much like the tall vermillion pillars with majestic dragon carving that held the palace roofs up over their heads. The heavens could come crashing down upon Great Ye and Liu Yao could and would hold the pieces together.

But the young man who had smothered him into the silken sheets with giddy kisses, who had ripped his robes off with frantic hands and took him...not ungently, per se, but with more fervency than usual, was fresh to Yan Zheyun.

He’d never felt Liu Yao so alive before and had said as much, breathlessly teasing, even as he felt Liu Yao grow even harder. To which, Liu Yao had replied, "You’re mine now."

Yan Zheyun had laughed, the end of his mirth cutting off with a short gasp as Liu Yao found that spot deep inside of him. "Haven’t I been yours all this while? Within the harem, who doesn’t belong to you?"

A light smack on his bottom before Liu Yao’s low chuckle in his ear had made the blood rush south in his body. "It’s not the same."

Of course it wasn’t. A husband and wife joined together at the hair, loves each other without a doubt (1). Oftentimes in history, the emperor’s most loved was a famous concubine or consort and not the woman who held the legal title of his wife.

But Yan Zheyun believed firmly in having both Liu Yao’s affections and matrimonial rights.

"Yue Langjun, when will you be moving into Jiaofang Palace?"

This was the palace reserved for the empress. Ever since the dowager had moved, Jiaofang Palace had remained empty, the barren dais in its main hall turning into a symbol of the lust for power rampant within the harem. The gods alone knew how many magestic occupants of this most prestigious address within the inner palace had spent evenings waiting alone in their bedchambers for a husband who was warm in someone else’s arms. With nothing more than their noble dignity to cling on to, it was no wonder that Jiaofang Palace was often the root of so much tragedy; how many people could truly watch their spouses fall in love with someone else and not feel any shred of resentment?

Yan Zheyun smiled at the speaker, whose tone was not unkindly. Noble Lord Guo had been good at staying out of his hair, choosing to keep the petty squabbling amongst the lower ranked male concubines. Ever since Liu Yao had announced through Yan Zheyun that he was planning to dismiss his harem and that those who chose to leave would be granted further opportunities at politics and an education, Yan Zheyun had felt a subtle but certain shift in attitudes towards him. Once upon a time, he’d been their biggest competitor on their quest to bring glory and honour to their families. Now, Liu Yao’s love for him was the main reason why they had a chance to fly out of the cage once more.

Sure there were always ’love brains’ (2) such as Attendant Zhang, whom Yan Zheyun knew had all but badgered her way into the inner palace after having a crush on the handsome ’big brother crown prince’ who used to hang out with her older brother. But most members of the harem weren’t half as naive as that. If they had another option that could bring them a brighter future without having to reduce themselves to fighting for the attention of one man, it would be foolish not to take it.

"Times are harder as of now with winter raging on and unrest on our doorstep in the North," Yan Zheyun explained. "After careful deliberation, His Majesty has decided that Aiyun Palace, recently refurbished, is adequate to serve as the new empress’ palace and no more money should be spent unnecessarily."

"His Majesty is indeed thrifty and cares for the people. Yue Langjun is also almost understanding of His Majesty’s hardships and certainly worthy of the title of empress!"

Yan Zheyun had said that Liu Yao had deliberated because this was what the harem expected to hear; the emperor making all the big decisions. In actuality, Liu Yao had been reluctant to not give Yan Zheyun the full honours of moving into what he’d deemed the rightful place. It was Yan Zheyun, in the end, who had to convince him that he loved where he stayed now, not just because of its name but also because Liu Yao had painstakingly chosen the paraphernalia used to furnish it, suiting Yan Zheyun’s tastes with such accuracy he couldn’t help but be touched. In comparison, Jiaofang Palace, which was only a stone’s throw away, had been vacant for so long that it couldn’t shake off the air of desolation that blanketed it.

Some cautious looks were exchanged when the other concubines heard Yan Zheyun mention that he wasn’t shifting anywhere. However, unlike the barbed jibes he’d once tolerated for sharing the same courtesy name as the emperor’s dead lover, no one dared to make any wise remarks this time around. It was no secret, anyway, that the ornate red sandalwood bed in the main bedchamber of Aiyun Palace was more often than not untouched; Yan Zheyun all but lived in Qianqing Palace.

"Yue Langjun, has His Majesty provided you with more information about when we would be able to support him in matters outside of the inner palace?"

It was Imperial Concubine Chen, ever impatient and too honest to try and hide it, who asked. But Yan Zheyun could see the other ears prick up, everyone suddenly more alert than ever as they all wondered the same thing.

Liu Yao’s methods of cleaning out the inner palace of spies over the last few days meant that his decision to use his harem as a ready-made talent recruitment pool might not have made it back to the morning court yet. These young men and women, all eager to find a place for themselves in the world, were understandably anxious and wanted to know how well the plan was being implemented.

No one wanted to hedge their bets on a pipe dream.

Bit by bit, more of them gathered their courage to chorus Imperial Concubine Chen.

"Imperial Concubine Chen Langjun speaks the words in my heart. If this younger brother might be too bold in asking, do you perhaps have any word on how well-received this news was?"

"Yes, Yue Langjun, will it depend on whether our families...agree to allow us to serve His Majesty in another capacity or will we be able to make the choice for ourselves?" Even the girls, who had never once even considered the possibility that they could do more than try their best to provide their husbands with cultured, well-raised heirs, were dizzy with the sudden prospects laid out in front of them.

Yan Zheyun couldn’t resist the frisson of fondness he felt. He’d had to deal with a couple of difficult personalities but the more troublesome ones were no longer around. Those who had tried bullying others had already received their comeuppance and he was happy not to pursue matters any further insofar as no one tried anything funny with Liu Yao or him. As the saying went, the well water doesn’t mix with the river water (3).

The chatter grew progressively in volume and he had to raise his voice a little to be heard. "Keep calm, there is no need to get too excited as of yet," he advised. "With the departure of the Northern entourage on the horizon, His Majesty will have little time to spare for the next couple of days but for sure he will prioritise what he promised everyone soon after."

The visiting dignitaries from the neighbouring kingdoms and the vassals were due to depart Great Ye after the celebrations of the Festival of Longevity. The murders and the scandals that had happened concurrently had been disgraceful and it was only fear of Great Ye’s military might that had kept the snide remarks from the envoys at bay. Even now, Liu Yao was concerned that the instability at the northern borders would just escalate. The autumn hunt had undermined Great General Pan’s standing in the morning court and now, the foreign powers had just had first class tickets to the in-fighting in the capital.

Yan Zheyun could see why Liu Yao was worried. It was a harsh winter and the northern tribes would suffer as much as the citizens living on the borderlands, if not more. There would likely come a time when raiding and risking open war was the only viable survival solution.

The rest of the assembly was spent reassuring the concubines that he would update them as soon as he could. After today, more of them would consider Liu Yao’s proposition more carefully, he was sure. After all, the role of empress was finally filled in, reducing the chances of other hopefuls to an effective zero. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"If there are no other matters of import, morning assembly is dismissed. Lord Hua, Lady Zhao, please stay behind for a moment." He could see Attendant Zhang lingering fretfully near the door and motioned for a momo to escort her back to her palace. Without a doubt, she was here to beg for the release of Noble Consort Dou from her house arrest. However, even though the entire matter had been pinned on a fictitious demon in the guise of Imperial Concubine Hui and none of the shadow guard monitoring Noble Consort Dou had discovered anything suspicious, Liu Yao still had yet to give the go signal for her freedom.

When one husband sings, the other follows (4). He was willing to support Liu Yao’s endeavours and Liu Yao had proven himself not averse to the idea of supporting his. Hence, Yan Zheyun was not going to meet Attendant Zhang because it was a conversation that would only end in tears.

With Lady Zhao, Yan Zheyun didn’t have much to say, merely indicated for Xiao De to hand her a set of readings that made her eyes light up. It reminded him of his siblings during their birthday whenever they received presents and it brightened up his day to see her this enthusiastic too.

"Yue Langjun," she asked, voice shaky with barely contained excitement. It was rare to see her so poorly composed and it made her feel more like the girls of the modern era, with more chances to dream big. "Does this mean His Majesty has made up his mind? I can...sit for the imperial examinations with the men?"

Initially, Liu Yao had considered letting her take on a position within the morning court in the Ministry of Rites, dealing solely with female education. This had made practical sense. It wasn’t unusual for the emperor to grant a post to a favoured individual. But Yan Zheyun had advocated on her behalf. He knew that in the past, there were female officials too but all of them, having never set the imperial examinations before, could not be regarded as equal to their male counterparts. Their political role was thus confined to the ambit of the inner palace, where they overlapped with the eunuchs’ domain by recording the emperor’s sex life to ascertain and ensure the purity of the imperial line.

This wasn’t progressive. More people weighing in on what Liu Yao and he did in bed wasn’t going to make Great Ye a stronger dynasty. So, Liu Yao had to ensure that the women in his morning court couldn’t be dismissed from the political nucleus. The only way Yan Zheyun could think of achieving this was to give them equal footing to compete on.

Educate them, which was already in the works, and then give them free reign to duke it out, rewarding merit and not gender. If Lady Zhao made it into the Ministry of Rites as a successful examination candidate, no one would be able to hold it over her head that she was unworthy. That she had presumably spread her legs for the job.

Lady Zhao was on cloud nine when she walked back out the main door. Hua Zhixuan, who had been calmly braiding the two jade pendants dangling from his belt—one with his title and another shaped like a rabbit, gave Yan Zheyun an amused look.

"Brother Yan has a set of books for me too?" he teased. Yan Zheyun had written down as much accounting knowledge as he could remember from university electives and rotating through the department in his parents’ company during internship. Although he’d tried his best to word things in a manner Hua Zhixuan would understand, there was only so much that could be done with literary language before it all became obtuse and Hua Zhixuan had proclaimed his ’Crash Course in Accountancy’ the hardest teachings he’d ever had the fortune to study.

But he was loyal to a fault, never once questioning where a slave of so many years procured such knowledge from.

Yan Zheyun didn’t have more books for him today. But he did have a suggestion.

"Brother Hua," he said evenly, trying to contain his eagerness for what he was about to say. "His Majesty’s plans for you to enter the Ministry of Revenue...what are your thoughts on that?"

Hua Zhixuan blinked. "I wasn’t aware it was a matter of choice. But even if it were, the kingdom’s finances isn’t an uninteresting domain."

Yan Zheyun nodded sagely. "That is true, who doesn’t like money, after all?"

"Ahaha, careful Brother Yan, should the nobles hear their new empress-to-be speaking so basely, they might regret their decision to compromise on the matter of the phoenix seal."

What did Yan Zheyun care? Now that they’d effectively rescinded all—dubious— rights to criticise Liu Yao’s handling of inner palace affairs, they weren’t getting any say ever again.

And the aristocracy could afford to be high and mighty and turn their noses up at the subject of money but weren’t they also the ones siphoning it out of the system to fund their personal armies and buy themselves more supporters?

"Brother Hua, the Ministry of Revenue is indeed where your talents would shine," Yan Zheyun said, with the kind of measured, pleasant casualness he liked to use in his speech whenever he was about to try and reel in his target. "However, the kingdom already doesn’t have enough money in the imperial coffers. No matter how much you scrimp and save on the ledgers, one gold tael is one gold tael."

Hua Zhixuan laughed. "Great Ye might not be at the height of its resplendence but surely we have 2 gold taels at least."

Yan Zheyun nodded agreeably. "And probably more," he said. "But it could be twenty gold taels. It could be two thousand. If we play our cards right, it could be two million."

Perhaps there was something in Yan Zheyun’s tone that cottoned on, the edge of wistfulness, a thirst of ambition that was fuelled by the frustration of dying on the day he’d made his biggest career achievement. The sting of losing his family and his company on the same day would never fully fade but Yan Zheyun had never given up hope entirely on the idea of starting yet another empire here in this world.

"His Majesty needs a court official and I agree you’re the right person for the job. But Brother Hua, I need a business partner and His Majesty believes you’re the right man for the job."

Hua Zhixuan hooked his legs together at the ankles before swinging them boyishly.

"Why must I choose?" was his breezy reply but from it, Yan Zheyun could also detect the burn of young ambition, the hunger to prove a sort of worth that no one could refute. "Brother Yan, you’ve given me the confidence to sincerely ask for the chance to show His Majesty and yourself that I don’t have to choose."